Democrats have become more concerned than Republicans about artificial intelligence in daily life and its effect on employment, reversing the partisan pattern seen two years ago, according to a Pew Research Center survey.
In the June survey, 56% of Democrats said they were more concerned than excited about the growing use of AI, compared with 49% of Republicans. Pew's party groups include independents who lean toward either party.
The shift reflects movement in opposite directions. Democratic concern rose from 46% in 2023 to 56% this year and is 25 percentage points higher than it was in 2021.
Republican concern fell 10 points from 2023. Pew said the largest changes occurred among people at the ideological ends of the parties.
Liberal Democrats show largest increase
Among liberal Democrats, 63% said they were more concerned than excited about AI, up from 45% in 2023.
Concern among conservative Republicans fell 14 percentage points over the same period. Pew found no statistically significant change among moderate and conservative Democrats or among moderate and liberal Republicans.
Across the country, about half of adults now say they are more concerned than excited about AI's growing role, up from 37% in 2021. Few said they were more excited than concerned, while slightly more than one-third expressed equal levels of concern and excitement.
Expectations for job losses also change
Democrats were also more likely than Republicans to predict that AI will reduce the number of jobs over the next 20 years, 75% to 68%.
That finding reverses the partisan pattern from two years earlier, when Republicans were more likely than Democrats to anticipate AI-related job losses. Since then, the Democratic share expecting fewer jobs has increased 17 percentage points, while Republican views have changed little.
Relatively small shares in either party said AI would create more jobs or make little difference to employment, according to Pew.
The findings come as candidates in both parties debate data-center development, government regulation of AI and the technology's effect on workers during the midterm election campaign.
Survey covered nearly 3,500 adults
Pew surveyed 3,488 U.S. adults from June 22 through June 28, 2026. All respondents are members of the center's American Trends Panel, which is designed to represent the full U.S. adult population.
The center said the analysis builds on its previous research into public attitudes about AI, expectations for jobs and differences across party lines. The source summary did not provide a margin of sampling error for the reported estimates.
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